A Racer's Legacy
by ohsocomical
Summary: Staren aims to become the world racing champion alongside his companions, but gets caught up in more than friendly competition.


The air was thick with excitement as well as tension. Today marked the beginning of the annual monster racers' license test and each to-be racer that stepped into the Racers' Union building was greeted with friendly advisors and possible rivals. Though it was obvious that only a handful of people would pass the test, no person was deterred from attempting to receive their license, train monsters, and, maybe, become the next world champion monster racer.

"Next." the blue-haired woman behind the counter called calmly.

A young boy stepped forward, his honey-colored eyes bright with energy and anticipation. He carefully adjusted the collar of his white shirt, then his red vest. His necklace clicked slightly as he leaned over to fill out the required paperwork.

Some of the other test takers felt like this boy was something else. Though, no one knew what it was. He showed no signs of being a rookie, but had no hints of a skilled trainer.

Or, perhaps it was the star mark that seemed to confuse most.

"Okay Staren," the woman said, using her hand to show him a doorway. "Go through there and you shall be at the testing room where you will be examined for your racer's license. I wish you the best of luck!"

Staren smiled, responding, "Thank you."

Then he walked away from the counter and through the doorway.

Staren glanced around the room, eyeing every person carefully. Though he knew he couldn't base a racer's ability to train monsters solely on their appearance or personality, he still liked to get an idea of who he would be racing in the future. Not looking for rivals necessarily, but more of friendly competitors that he could become acquainted with.

One person nearby seemed shaken up quite a bit. It was clear that it wasn't elation, but anxiety. He was dressed in green clothes and wore big, rounded glasses. His verdant hair was pulled into a small ponytail and his similarly colored eyes drifted back and forth between the other people in the room. He looked like, what a good amount of racers would say, a "nerd".

Such a title bestowed on a person was ridiculous to Staren, so he instead suggested he was a learned person. Someone who was exceptionally gifted in knowing how a monster would function, what it's best attribute was, ectera.

Again, Staren couldn't base someone skills on their appearance, but that how he felt about that guy.

On the other side of the room did he notice a person who gave him a vibe of "all my monsters must be strong and not useless."

The said individual was dressed in a strange, fancy-looking blue and purple suit. His purple hair was slicked back and intense amethyst eyes glared at any person who dared to peer at him. He looked like he belonged with other rich characters; not in a group of children, teens, and young adults that were vying for a chance to become the world racing champion. But, racers came in all sorts of shapes and sizes, so who was Staren to say where he belonged?

"Attention all participants!"

The room went dead quiet and all shifted their eyes and bodies forward to listen to the instructor.

"We are to soon begin the test. If no one else is arriving to take the test, then we shall close-"

"W-wait!"

Gazes moved to the doorway as a young girl in a white and yellow shirt and blue skirt rushed in. She took in a couple breaths before handing in her paperwork.

"I-I would like to enter as well. I apologize for being late."

She quickly joined the group, allowing the man up front to begin to speak once again.

"Ahem," he coughed, clearing his throat. "Alright. We shall assess each one of your skills to see if you are to become a trainer and racer of monsters. You will be given three choices, so choose wisely and be prepared to race to gain your license and medal. When ready, proceed to the gate."

Upon finishing, the man walked through the afore mentioned gate. People began shifting through their choices as did Staren.

For his choices, Staren had a Leefee, a Phoechik, and a Cuboom.

Leefee is a grass-based monster and well-known for their spirit when racing wild and tamed monsters. The species is very reliable in races and very outgoing. It's also the most balanced out of the three.

Second up was Phoechik, a fire-based monster that made befriending other monsters easier. This doesn't make it weak, but in fact, reliable like Leefee. It gives a racer an advantage to gain more monsters in a quick, yet efficient way.

Lastly, the sand-based monster Cuboom. It has a similar personality to Leefee, but is much more rambunctious. Most racers have difficultly raising Cuboom because of this. However, they are very physically strong and incredibly useful once tamed to a certain extent.

Staren had made his descision quickly, not wanting to waste a single second. He reached out and grabbed Leefee's monster ball, setting it down and calling out it's name. Within moments did the monster appear, giving a small screech.

"Hey there," Staren said gently. "Name's Staren buddy. We're going to be partners and pass the racer's test, okay?"

Leefee gave another cry before Staren reached out and stroked it's head softly. Leefee in turn chittered happily with the affection.

"I'm going to call you Sage if that's cool?"

Sage gave a small click; he was fine with the nickname. Staren was sure he wanted to race as soon as possible and he liked that about the monster. Then again, a lot monsters held that vibe, but it appeared to be coming off Sage in waves that he could feel both physically and mentally.

"Alright. Let's go then."

Upon stepping towards the gate, a voice pipped up behind them.

"Hey, um-" They turned to face the girl who had entered late.

She gave him a small, bright smile. "I just wanted to tell you good luck!"

Staren was, to say the least, a little confused by a complete stranger saying that to him. But, he took it graciously.

"Thanks," he said.

He turned away and headed to the course.

From what Staren saw, he immediately noticed the track was only dirt. No grass, fire, water, sand, or snow... Just dirt. That was okay with him though, knowing that Sage didn't need any advantage or disadvantage in the race in order to win. It would be a good, clean test race.

Staren walked side by side with Sage to the starting line where the instructor waited with a Humblebug. From what he knew about Humblebugs, they weren't particullarly fast on any type of terrain; a perfect candidate for rookies to compete against.

"Are you ready?"

Staren nodded.

The man motioned next to Humblebug. "Lead your monster to Humble's side and we shall count down from three. If you cross the line before my monster, you win and pass the test. You will then receive your racer's medal, enabling you to partake in tournaments all over the world. With that, let's begin."

Sage stood side by side with Humblebug, his eyes fierce with spirit. He got into a starting position and waited.

"Three... two... one... GO!"

"Thank you all for participating in this year's liense test. Now, I shall read off the names of those who have passed and earned their racer's medal."

"Representing Eurasia, Zoltan!"

The purple-haired teen grinned smugly. "Well obviously."

Staren rolled his eyes. This guy was already a pain and he hadn't even raced him. Know-it-alls like him grinded his gears to no end.

"Representing Asia, Geng!"

The green-clothed boy smiled shyly. "M-me? R-really?"

"And lastly, representing South America, Staren!"

Staren felt his body go warm with excitement. A bright smile broke out on his face as he accepted the medal. He stared at it for a moment, letting it shine in the light. He promptly put it away afterwards.

"Thank you all for coming and congratuations to those who passed. For those who did not, do not get discouraged. Train hard and come back next year to try again."

The crowd broke into bits until only a few remained. Staren was one of them as he released Sage from his ball. He pet Sage's head and took out a cracker to feed him with. He readily accepted the food given.

"We did it Sage. Now we can compete in all of the tournaments across the world! You ready to do some racing buddy?"

Sage gave a low screech, ready and willing to go with Staren.

"Alright then, let's-"

"E-excuse me!"

Staren and Sage halted at the voice, turning to see the girl from before. She smiled, waving at them.

"My name is Misaki. I'd like to ask you something."


End file.
